The Culture Calculator is an estimation tool that has been developed by the Stockholm Municipal Culture Administration. It can be used to make two estimates: 1) An estimate of the cultural potential of a district and 2) An estimate of the values of the cultural potential of a district.

To estimate cultural potential, the calculator estimates various cultural activities that can be accommodated in premises or spaces within a district with new and/or existing buildings.

The values of the cultural potential are the social, socio-economic and real estate-related added values that various types of cultural activities in premises or spaces can yield in a district with new and/or existing buildings.

The Culture Calculator can thus be used to calculate and estimate the values of cultural potential for additional buildings, existing buildings, or the sum of existing and additional buildings in a district. The calculation models have been produced by the Spacescape and Evidens consulting firms and are based on extensive statistical materials from the City of Stockholm, Statistics Sweden and various culture-related organisations.

The Culture Calculator can only be used within the City of Stockholm because it is based on statistics for the municipality. The results reflect an average of the current supply of cultural facilities in the City of Stockholm and should be seen as an indication of the potential that buildings and cultural activities can generate in a district, rather than a precise forecast. Each location is unique and should be considered on the basis of its specific conditions and in relation to the range of cultural activities in the surrounding buildings.

Buildings

Here you can enter new or existing buildings in terms of the number of housing units, sqm of residential space (residential floor area, RFA), number of workplaces or sqm of premises space (commercial floor area, CFA). Then click [Estimate cultural potential]. The calculation and estimation model is based on a large number of statistics that apply to the City of Stockholm. Information about existing gross floor area (GFA, may be residential floor area or commercial floor area) can be found in the Real Estate Register of Statistics Sweden.

Housing units:
The number of new and/or existing housing units. Data source: The City of Stockholm

Residential floor area:
Square metres of new and/or existing residential space (residential floor area, RFA). An average housing unit counts as 80 sqm of RFA. Data source: The Real Estate Register, Statistics Sweden

Workplaces:
The number of new and/or existing workplaces, which also corresponds to the number of workers. This includes all types of workplaces, both private and public. Data source: The City of Stockholm

Commercial floor area:
Square metres of new and/or existing premises space (commercial floor area, CFA). This includes all types of business premises, such as offices, commercial premises, school premises, and industrial premises. An average workplace counts as 40 sqm of CFA. Data source: The Real Estate Register, Statistics Sweden

Culture

Here you can enter various types of culture. Then click [Estimate cultural values]. You can also calculate the cultural values based on estimated cultural potential by simply maintaining the cultural potential figures and then clicking [Estimate cultural values]. The calculation model is based on a large number of statistics that apply to the City of Stockholm.

Public culture

Theatres:
The number of seats in premises used as theatres or concert venues. The smallest theatre in the City of Stockholm has 20 seats. The largest theatres in Stockholm have a regional catchment area. To prevent the tool from generating an overestimation of the size of an average theatre in an average development area, theatres with more than 1,000 seats have not been included in the calculation and estimation basis. Examples of theatres that have not been included are the Royal Dramatic Theatre, the Royal Opera House and Konserthuset Stockholm. However, it is still possible to perform estimations in the tool for theatres with more than 1,000 seats. The theatres included in the calculation and estimation basis have an average of 300 seats. Data source: Spacescape

Cinemas:
The number of seats in premises used as cinemas. An average cinema has 600 seats. The smallest cinema in the City of Stockholm has 20 seats. Data source: Spacescape

Libraries:
Number of square metres of premises space (CFA) used for library activities and operated by the City of Stockholm. An average library is 500 sqm. The smallest library in the City of Stockholm is 100 sqm. Data source: The Stockholm Municipal Culture Administration

Galleries:
The number of square metres of premises space (CFA) used for gallery operations. An average gallery is 60 sqm. Data source: The Stockholm Municipal Culture Administration/Spacescape

Exhibition venues:
The number of square metres of premises space (gross premises area) used as exhibition venues. This includes art galleries, museums and exhibition venues. The largest exhibition venues in Stockholm have a regional catchment area. To prevent the tool from generating an over-estimation of the size of an average exhibition venue in an average development area, exhibition venues larger than 5,000 sqm have not been included in the calculation and estimation basis. Examples of premises that have not been included include the Liljevalch Gallery, Nationalmuseum and Nordiska Museet. However, it is still possible to carry out estimations in the tool for exhibition venues larger than 5,000 sqm. The average size of the exhibition venues included in the calculation and estimation basis is 2,000 sqm. Data source: Spacescape

Other forms of culture

Stockholm School of the Arts seats:
Number of seats run by the Stockholm School of the Arts (Kulturskolan). The Stockholm School of the Arts offers music, theatre, dance and art courses to children and young people. Data source: The Stockholm Municipal Culture Administration

Studios:
The number of square metres of premises space (CFA) used for studios. The average studio space is 35 sqm. A studio building that houses several studio premises is usually at least 250 sqm in size. Data source: Konstnärernas riksförbund/The Stockholm Municipal Culture Administration

Community centres and meeting spaces:
Number of square metres of premises (CFA) used as community centres and meeting spaces that are bookable through the Stockholm Municipal Sports Administration. The average community centre is 800 sqm in size. Read more in the City of Stockholm’s report “Community Centres and Other Meeting Spaces in Stockholm”. Data source: The Sports Administration

Rehearsal studios:
The number of square metres of premises (CFA) used for rehearsal activities (e.g., music and theatre). The average rehearsal studio is 25 sqm in size. Data source: The Stockholm Municipal Culture Administration

Other premises for CCI:
The number of square metres of premises (gross premises area) used for cultural activities in industries that count as Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI), beyond the estimates above (Public Culture and Other Culture). Cultural and Creative Industries comprise enterprises whose business idea or raw material consist of culture-creating or creative processes. They also include enterprises that build on the creativity of others, for example through distribution and trade or through the development of digital services with cultural content. These include both private and public workplaces, ranging from architecture firms to computer game developers and fashion designers. Read more about CCI on the website of the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth https://tillvaxtverket.se/statistik/kulturella-och-kreativa-naringar.html and in the City of Stockholm’s report “Artistic Activities”. Data source: The Workplace Register, Statistics Sweden

Values

Here you can see the types of values that can be created by the culture. The calculation model is based on a large number of statistics that apply to the City of Stockholm.

Social values

Total number of cultural visitors:
Number of visitors per year to all cultural activities. Data source: The Swedish Film Institute/The Stockholm Municipal Culture Administration/The Swedish Agency for Cultural Policy Analysis/Spacescape

Theatre visitors:
The number of visitors per year to theatres, auditoriums and concert venues. Data source: Spacescape

Cinema visitors:
The number of visitors per year to cinemas. Data source: The Swedish Film Institute

Library visitors:
The number of visitors per year to libraries. Data source: The Stockholm Municipal Culture Administration

Visitors to exhibition venues:
The number of visitors per year to exhibition venues. Data source: The Swedish Agency for Cultural Policy Analysis

Visitors to the Stockholm School of the Arts:
The number of visitors per year to the Stockholm School of the Arts. Data source: The Stockholm Municipal Culture Administration

Visitors to community centres:
The number of visitors per year to community centres. Data source: The Stockholm Municipal Culture Administration

Other cultural visitors:
The number of visitors per year to other workplaces and cultural activities that fall within the scope of Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI). Data source: Spacescape

Socio-economic values

Businesses and other organisations within the CCI:
The number of workplaces (private enterprises and public organisations) in cultural and creative industries (CCI). Read more about CCI on the website of the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth https://tillvaxtverket.se/statistik/kulturella-och-kreativa-naringar.html and in the City of Stockholm’s report “Artistic Activities”. Data source: The Workplace Register, Statistics Sweden

Employed in CCI:
The number of employed persons (private and public workplaces) within Cultural and Creative Industries (KKN). Data source: The Workplace Register, Statistics Sweden

Turnover in CCI:
Turnover in MSEK per year in enterprises within Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI). Data source: The Workplace Register, Statistics Sweden

Tax revenue within CCI:
Income tax in MSEK per year for persons employed in Cultural and Creative Industries (CCI). Data source: Register for control data-based payroll statistics, Statistics Sweden

Real estate values

Housing value:
The value of culture for cooperative housing (new and/or existing), calculated as added value in SEK per square metre of residential space (RFA). This calculation model is based on a regression model that includes all variables that can explain price differences in the City of Stockholm. The cultural activities whose presence has been shown to have a significant impact on housing prices and which, from the perspective of home buyers, thus have a positive impact on attractiveness are theatres, cinemas, libraries, galleries, community centres and rehearsal studios. Data source: Valueguard/Evidens

Land value of cooperative housing:
The land value of cooperative housing is estimated on the basis of the added value that cultural activities create for cooperative housing according to the estimated housing value. The land value indicates the additional value created by adding additional cultural activities, given that the land is to be sold for cooperative housing development purposes. The increase in land value is estimated as SEK/sqm of GFA, while the housing value is estimated as SEK/sqm of RFA. The ratio of residential area to gross area is assumed to amount to 0.78. Data source: Evidens

Office rent:
The value of cultural activities for offices (new and/or existing), calculated as increased rental income in SEK per square metre of office space (CFA) per year. Office rents are not directly affected by proximity to cultural activities, but they are affected indirectly by the number of restaurants, which in turn are affected by the number of cultural activities. The calculation is therefore based on two steps, wherein the number of new restaurants is estimated and their impact on office rents is estimated. The number of restaurants is affected by both the number of residents and workers in the area and the number of cultural activities. The office rent is thus affected both by what is specified in the tool as buildings and by what is specified as culture. The cultural activities whose presence has been shown to have a significant impact on the number of restaurants and which, from the perspective of office tenants, thus have a positive impact on attractiveness are theatres, cinemas, libraries and galleries. Data source: Värderingsdata/Evidens

Land value of offices:
The land value of offices is estimated on the basis of the added value that cultural activities create according to the estimated office rent. The land value indicates the additional value created by adding additional cultural activities, given that the land is to be sold for office development purposes. The increase in land value is estimated as SEK/sqm of GFA, while the increase in office rent is estimated as SEK/sqm of CFA. The premises area/gross area ratio is assumed to be 0.8. In order to estimate increased land value based on increased rent, a direct yield requirement must also be included in the calculation. In this case the direct yield requirement has been set at 4%. Data source: Evidens

Restaurant turnover:
The impact of cultural activities on the overall restaurant turnover in the area. Calculated as the total increase in sales at all restaurants in the area and expressed in MSEK per year (excl. VAT). Restaurant turnover is affected by both the number of residents and workers in the area and the number of cultural activities. Restaurant turnover is thus affected both by what is specified in the tool as buildings and by what is specified as culture. The cultural activities whose presence has been shown to have a significant impact on restaurant turnover are theatres, cinemas, exhibition venues and galleries. Data source: Statistics Sweden, Evidens

Contact
Anna Rygård
Urban Development Strategist
E-mail: kulturkalkylen@stockholm.se